| No Mercy For the Rude (2006) |
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| Director: | Park Cheol-hie |
| Writers: | Park Cheol-hie |
| Starring: | Shin Ha-kyun, Yun Ji-hye and Kim Min-jun |
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The Plot: Killa (Shin Ha-kyun) is a young man living with a short tongue that ultimately prevents him from being able to speak aloud, so instead he lives within his own mind. Looking for an answer to his short-tongued problem, he finds a doctor who offers him a chance to travel overseas for an operation, but this will cost a great deal of money. More money than a chef could ever hope to see at one time. So, leaving behind his days as a seafood chef, he begins a new life as a hitman for hire. Using a knife as his primary weapon, despite most in his profession now turning to guns, Killa establishes himself as a killer with a moral compass. No women, no kids and the only ones to die by his hands will be “rude” or “bad” men. As Killa gets closer and closer to his goal of attaining his operation, he is introduced to a young woman who forces herself onto him and the two begin a strange new relationship. Shortly afterward Killa also runs into an orphaned child who also enters into his life and three soon become a family unit of sorts. When a botched hit threatens to undo everything for Killa, he will have to discover a way to make things right and save those he cares about. |
| The Review |
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The entertainment factory is certainly the leading reason to track down No Mercy For the Rude, but the film does offer some food amidst all of the delicious treats. The contradictory morality of our leading man is one instance that really jumps out for the audience, as we hear through his voiceover narration over and over again that he tries to justify his role in life despite the fact that we can clearly see his distaste for murder. His use of blades, while also being exceptionally “cool”, also allows for him to get close to those he kills so that he must confront their death face first. We see his character drinking heavily after going through with a job. We see him in moments of isolation and introspection immediately after killing a target, and we know that he doesn’t like this. His use of the knife, which results in him getting closer to something he doesn’t enjoy, reminds me of “mortification of the flesh” which is an act that many religions have been known to practice. The basic concept is that by torturing ones own flesh, usually with a whip across the back, you can scourge your soul of impurities. While our leading man surely feels that his work is justified by killing “rude” men, he also tortures himself by getting up close and personal with these murders as a way of purging himself of this heinous act. Sure, you can say it all just comes back to his being a seafood chef before his murdering days, but I’ll just assume that the subtext is there.
| The Conclusion |
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